The overall objective of this program is to stimulate minority undergraduate students to become biomedical research scientists who are motivated to pursue further study in biomedical and health-related graduate schools and to enter competitive biomedical research careers. To accomplish this goal, we will expose and directly involve minority students in on-going biomedically related research projects. The specific scientific aim of this research project is to measure the extent of accumulation of defective aspartyl residues (D-aspartate and L- isoaspartate) in aged and dysfunctional proteins isolated from animals and humans and to correlate the presence of altered aspartate to the age and dysfunctionality of those proteins. Various types of proteins are being examined, namely: malignant and nonmalignant tumor proteins, brain proteins from victims of neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's Disease, proteins from teeth enamel and dentine, and eye lens nucleus. Measurement of D-aspartate is accomplished by gas chromatographic techniques, and L-isoaspartate is measured by an enzymatic assay procedure using protein carboxyl methyltransferase.